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Detroit Pistons Gameday: Is the recent hot stretch the result of playing so often at The Palace?

Kyle-Singler-Andre-Drummond-1-11-13.jpg

After playing their previous five games at home, Kyle Singler (left), Andre Drummond and the Detroit Pistons are on the road tonight to play Monta Ellis and the Milwaukee Bucks.
(Photo by The Associated Press)

So that begs for an answer to this question: Is the Pistons' hot stretch the result of
playing six of those eight games at home?

DAVID MAYO

It absolutely was the
product of playing home games. The 0-8 start was the product of playing
road games and the reverse happened when the Pistons got a chance to stay home
for a while. Home venue matters more in the NBA than any other major U.S.
professional league.

It's also a product of
playing well and figuring out, to a limited degree, how to finish a game.
Fourth quarters are still a major work in progress but some of the home
giveaways earlier this season -- in particular Oklahoma City and Orlando in
November, and the blown 17-point leads in consecutive December home games
against Chicago and Denver -- have happened less frequently lately. Or,
at least, the late meltdowns have cost the Pistons games less often when they
do happen.

After tonight, and
excluding the neutral-site game next Thursday against the New York Knicks in
London, the Pistons play 11 of their next 17 games at home. They should
win the preponderance of those. If so, the long stretch of road games
beginning in late February and spanning virtually the remainder of the season
will determine their fate.

BRENDAN SAVAGE

No question the home-heavy schedule is a big reason the
Pistons are on a roll these days. Like all NBA teams, they play better at home
(even if The Palace is half-empty most nights).

That said, let's not discount the fact that they almost made
it seven straight victories by winning in Washington and nearly knocking off
Atlanta on the road. Sure, Washington has the NBA's worst record but the
Pistons still had to win the game. And they would have beaten Atlanta had Andre
Drummond not committed a defensive gaffe at the end of regulation.

The Pistons are starting to show gradual improvement and
tonight in Milwaukee will be a good test for them. The Bucks are a solid team
but they're not among the NBA's elite so this is a game the Pistons can not only
win but it's one they have to win if they want to be considered more than a
bottom-dweller.

I still don't see them making the playoffs but a victory
over the Bucks would help show that mentioning them among the candidates for the eighth seed in the East isn't as outrageous as it would have
sounded a month ago.

READER REACTION

Is the Pistons' recent hot spell the result of playing so
often at home or have they made that much progress since their 0-8 start?